Press Releases

Initiative will provide tools and resources to promote healthy eating and exercise in family child care homes and centers

Arlington, VA - The National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (NACCRRA) is proud to partner with Let’s Move!Child Care to support the Obama Administration’s campaign to raise a healthier generation of children. Today, Let’s Move! Child Care was announced by First Lady Michelle Obama at the CentroNia Early Childhood Pre-K/Pre-school Center in Washington, D.C. NACCRRA Executive Director Linda K. Smith, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General James Cartwright and representatives from the Partnership for a Healthier America, Bright Horizons and Nemours Foundation joined the First Lady for the announcement.

As part of the Let’s Move! Child Care initiative, NACCRRA partnered with Nemours and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to develop a Let’s Move Child Care Checklist with supporting resources to encourage healthy eating and physical activity in child care settings.

“With more than 11 million children under age 5 in child care each week, it is critical that providers help put children on the right path to a healthy future during their earliest years of development,” said Smith. “By partnering with Let’s Move! Child Care, Child Care Resource and Referral agencies play a unique role in reaching the nation’s providers and helping to achieve our goal of reducing the childhood obesity epidemic.”

TheLets Move! Child Care Checklist offers nutrition tips for families, menu suggestions and activities that child care providers can incorporate into their daily routines. Approximately 1,600 centers serving 280,000 children will implement new practices to encourage healthier eating habits and increased physical activity, as well as limiting the time a child spends in front of the television.

“Everyone is going to see that these small changes can make a big difference. If our kids get into the habit of getting up and playing, if their palates warm up to veggies at an early age, and if they’re not glued to a TV screen all day, they’re on their way to healthy habits for life,” Mrs. Obama said. “That’s why I’m so excited about Let’s Move! Child Care – because I know that child care facilities and home-based providers can be a real building block for an entire generation of healthy kids.”

A 2008 NACCRRA survey found that 93 percent of parents believe that existing health and safety standards for child care should be improved.

NACCRRA, the National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies, is our nation's leading voice for child care. We work with more than 800 state and local Child Care Resource and Referral agencies to ensure that families in every local community have access to high quality, affordable childcare. To achieve our mission, we lead projects that increase the quality and availability of child care professionals, undertake research, and advocate child care policies that positively impact the lives of children and families. To learn more about NACCRRA and how you can join us in ensuring access to high-quality child care for all families, visit us at www.naccrra.org.